Star Trek: Discovery is back with a bang! “Brother,” the Season 2 premiere, features a more familiar and comfortable Star Trek atmosphere, introduces some new and some familiar characters, gives us a number of really great character moments, and kicks off a new long-form story about the red signals that is likely to last through the season.
So let’s see where it connects to the wider Star Trek universe!
Enterprise Crew Complement – 203
“The vessel’s entire complement is alive,” Burnham says as the Discovery struggles to make contact with the Enterprise. In the original Star Trek pilot “The Cage,” Captain Christopher Pike states that he is responsible for the safety of 203 lives.
Sarek and Spock
Sarek indicates that he and Spock have not spoken in years, and that he was not expecting to see Spock ever again. This tracks what we know of their relationship, from Sarek’s first appearance in “Journey to Babel,” through his description of Spock’s childhood and their often contentious relationship in “Unification.”
An Early VISOR?
The Discovery’s transporter operator (seen at the top of this article) wears a device over his eyes which appears to be quite similar to Geordi La Forge’s VISOR, which allows that engineer to see after being born blind in the time of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
Mojave
“Back in Mojave, I learned the best way to get in a cold stream was to jump right in,” Pike says as he steps of the captain’s chair. It is established in “The Cage” that Pike was born there, though canon is still unclear where on Earth the city of Mojave is located.
Commander Nhan, Barzan
Captain Pike beams aboard with two crew members – his temporary science officer, Lt. Connelly, and a female officer in a red uniform identified as Commander Nhan. “I see where the Federation puts its pennies,” she says admiringly of Discovery, as Pike heads to the bridge.
Based on the facial makeup, cheek appliances, and interest in commerce, Nhan is likely to be a Barzan – first seen in The Next Generation episode “The Price.”
Colorful New Uniforms
“We got the new uniforms, though,” Pike says in response to Nhan’s jealousy about Discovery. The change in uniforms is a step towards the uniform color palette of the Original Series, set several years after the current era of “Discovery.”
That Goes for Spacesuits, Too
The Enterprise team of Pike, Connelly, and Nhan land on the asteroid in landing pods wearing EV suits coordinated with the colors of their divisions, while Burnham wears a neutral silver design. This mirrors the Kelvin Timeline orbital jumpsuits that Kirk, Sulu, and Olson wore on their way to land on Nero’s mining platform in Star Trek 2009.
Pike’s Service History and Commendations
Pike’s record shows he is the recipient of the Star Cross (TNG: “The Measure of a Man”), the Legion of Honor (TNG: “The Measure of a Man”), the Carrington Award (DS9: “Prophet Motive”), the Okuda Award (TNG: “Eye of the Beholder”) and the Legate’s Crest of Valor (VGR: “Nothing Human”).
It also indicates he had been on medical leave due to laceration, a potential reference to the incident on Rigel VII.
Medical Ships and Starbases
The USS Hiawatha is not the first appearance of a medical ship in Star Trek. In The Next Generation finale “All Good Things,” Captain Beverly Picard was the captain of a Starfleet medical ship, the USS Pasteur, in a possible future.
Reno says the Hiawatha had been en route to Starbase 36 when it crash landed on the asteroid. Starbase 36 was first referenced in The Next Generation episode “The Mind’s Eye.”
Caitians and Bolians and Saurians, Oh My
Right before he is killed by a collision with an asteroid fragment, Connolly said his Starfleet Academy roommate was a Caitian. This marks the first live-action mention of the cat-like alien race, previously seen in the Animated Series, “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” and “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
Engineer Reno also mentions that a Bolian was among the crew killed on the Hiawatha; the blue-skinned Bolians appeared a number of times in 24th century Trek stories. Lt. Linus, the sick alien in the Discovery’s turbolift, is a Saurian – a species first seen in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”
Transporter Pattern Enhancers
Transporter pattern enhancers, to aid in establishing a transporter lock during times of emergency or when there is interference, were frequently used in the 24th century. “Brother” marks their first appearance in a 23rd century context.
Flux Coupler
While preparing to capture a piece of the asteroid, Lt. Commander Airiam indicates she needs a flux coupler. The engineering tool has appeared previously in the “Enterprise” episode “E2” and the “Deep Space Nine” episode “Empok Nor.”
Spock’s Quarters
At the end of the episode, Burnham tours Spock’s quarters. They are labeled “3F” as she enters – the same as on the name plate outside his quarters in The Original Series, and many of the items found in his quarters are the same as those we saw during TOS. These include a 3D chess set and a lirpa.
A chair with a very similar style to those in TOS (the blue Burke chair with the black triangular cushion) can also be seen next to his desk, and the room divider is also similar to that on the original TOS set.
Blood Wine
When the landing party first encounters Commander Reno on the downed Hiawatha, she makes reference to the familiar Klingon beverage blood wine, getting its first namecheck in the 23rd century.
[td_smart_list_end]
We’ll be back next week with a look at the Star Trek canon connections of “New Eden,” the second episode of Discovery Season 2!